Favourite cricketers 11 - Ole Mortensen

Ole Mortensen was a typical Derbyshire seamer. Big (6'4"), burly, oozing menace and aggression and the lynchpin of the attack for a decade from 1983.

Far from whistling down the nearest mine shaft for him, however, Derbyshire picked him up on the recommendation of former skipper Ian Buxton, from the non-too traditional setting of Denmark.

Ole represented his country at four ICC Trophy Tournaments and picked up 63 wickets at just over ten runs each. His time for Derbyshire was notable for his sustained hostility, even if he was struggling with injury, and an ability to curse fluently in a range of guttural sounds that sounded even more aggressive because the batsman, left groping by a fast leg-cutter, couldn't understand a word.

"Stan" became his nickname, in tribute to the former Blackpool and England striker. Eric Blood Axe, one of his team mates called him, and Ole looked for all the world like a reincarnation of a rampaging Viking. This was, of course, the era of, if not the most hostile of Derbyshire attacks, certainly the fastest. At different times we had a choice of Holding and Malcolm to open, with Mortensen first change, then Ole and Devon together. The great Dane wasn't THAT fast, but he was decidedly awkward. From his debut season, when he marked his introduction to Yorkshire matches by taking 6-27, he was a very, very good bowler. Over 430 wickets at 23 is a record to be proud of in first class matches, while he also took over 200 at around 25 in one-day matches. The latter format saw him perhaps at his best, with his opening spell usually being immaculate in both line and length and often produced the wickets of top order batsmen. In addition, his control brought dividends at the other end, as batsmen strove to break free from the Ole-induced shackles.

As a batsman he was only number ten because Devon Malcolm was eleven. He had a model forward defensive shot but not much more. As a fielder he was not the most lithe although he had a safe pair of hands if he got there, but in his final season of 1994, Viking helmets proliferated at games as the fans paid tribute to their adopted son. The bottom line was Ole was one of the best bowlers in the country.

He was an honest man too. In 1993 I bought a cap from him during his benefit year, a woollen maroon one with "Derbyshire's Dane" on the front. "It'll last you for years" said Ole as I handed over the cash in the marquee at Chesterfield, "just make sure you dry it whenever you've finished a game". Fifteen years on it is still immaculate and is on my head whenever I play.

It also has a new lease of life. Now Freddie Klokker, an Ole protege, is around, it's no longer clear who Derbyshire's Dane is. All of a sudden, my cap looks like new again...